Our February 2010 Memories

(written by Joe)

This was the month we lost our friend Arthur Hale. He has battled heart problems for so many years. His first valve replacement surgery was 13 years ago. He has had some good years since then but always tempered with the knowledge that so many of his McGuire relatives had died in their 40’s with genetic heart problems. He was 61 when he passed away on the 16^th.

I had been to St. Thomas several times to visit with Art and Nancy. They had been there off and on since before Christmas. This last time they were there for several weeks without a break. For one visit, Debby and I had made food to take Nancy who had an apartment there at the hospital. We took her soup and salad and homemade whole wheat bread with jellies. Art wanted me to come shave him so I took the needed supplies and did that.

Up until the very end he had not been eligible for a heart transplant, even though, the doctors agreed that that was his only hope of survival. There are so many potential recipients and so few donors that only recipients who are hooked to life support and unable to leave the hospital actually receive the hearts. By then, many of them, as proved to be the case with Art, are too debilitated to survive the surgery.

But we did receive the call on the 15^th that a donor had been found and he was to receive the transplant immediately. Corky Crawford and I got together to go down and be with the family during the surgery. Both of the kids and their families were there with Nancy. Art went into surgery about 10 p.m. Around 1:00 a.m. we received a call to the family waiting area that the new heart was in and performing well. Corky and I hugged the jubilant family and left to go home. Adrian’s family left at the same time. Before we reached home, there was another call that informed us that his lungs were not operating and, in fact, were filled with fluids. By morning, we were learned that his lungs were not responding and that they were assembling the family to unplug machines and allow him to slip away. That happened about 2:15 on the 16^th.

I was asked to help Adrian and Gretchen with the funeral arrangements and it was a sweet experience to help do this for my friend. I helped Adrian and Steve (Gretchen’s husband) and Bishop Michael Weeter, dress his body and place it in the casket. I was also asked to speak at the funeral.

Debby prepared a big breakfast and we delivered it to Adrian’s home, where most of the family was gathered. We also went to the cemetery, Shockley Cemetery, for the burial the following morning. I was a pall-bearer and Debby was asked to take pictures. We were touched when the men and boys of the family elected to fill the dirt into the grave rather than allow the grave-diggers to do it. Debby has stayed in close contact with Nancy and offered support in any way. She has four of the grandchildren in her seminary class each morning and feels especially close to them.

On the fourth, we celebrated my birthday by going to the movies to see Avatar. Debby had some other stops to make in Cookeville so we made a day of it including an O’Charley’s meal.

For Valentine’s Day we went to Rocky River for much of the week-end and, and as Debby keeps reminding me, she cooked her own dinner (and mine, too).

Big doings in Colorado took me to Holly’s on the 25^th. Lane Thomas Blatter was ready to be presented at church for his father’s blessing. I went out to be a part of the celebration. I stayed several days so they would be sure to be glad when I left. I enjoyed some relaxed visiting time with many of Clinton’s family. I got to make a pot of my world famous vegetable beef soup to help feed the multitude that assembled at their condo after church. I appreciated the opportunity to meet their bishop and several of their church friends. It is easier to formulate a prayer when you can visualize the environment. They are well situated!

Debby’s Addendum:

The final season of Lost began on February 2^nd. Several of the girls got us interested in that show and I have remained faithful (and very confused). Joe bailed out a season or two ago. All the story lines have become so complex that I don’t try too hard anymore to even try to understand what’s going on. I’m just hoping that at the end, it will all be pulled together in such a way that everything makes perfect sense. That's not too much to hope for, is it? Another thing that has complicated this season has been American Idol. I’ve not ever watched that show much, but for some reason or other, got interested this time around. Unfortunately, it has competed with Lost on a few occasions.

Joe went to visit Arthur and Nancy at St. Thomas several times. I went with him the Thursday before Arthur’s surgery. The day I was with him Arthur wanted Joe to give him a shave. It was good to hear them tease each other a little bit – but not much – Arthur was very weak and very thirsty. I felt so bad for him -- his fluid intake was so regulated and quite minimal. He was having a very difficult time eating, too, because of that – he said his mouth was just too dry. So, Joe and I went to the grocery story to purchase a variety of baby foods for him. He really needed to get his strength up and we thought that maybe he could swallow the baby food easier. I received a text from Nancy the next day telling me that he had been able to eat some of it. She said he didn’t like it, though, and had said, “poor babies”. We had taken Nancy some food, too, and visited with her more than with Arthur while we were there. She showed me her apartment and we followed her around as she navigated the area. She’d been there so long that she knew the place like the back of her hand.

We picked up Baylor and Kyndal one Friday night to spend the night with us at RR. Before arriving at Little House, we went to Rock Island Market for dinner. Later, they had fun (and we did, too) watching Beethoven and Enchanted. The next day was the first really nice weather day we’d had in a long time. Oley came to help Joe work on his tractor and his nephew, Zeb, was with him. Zeb and Baylor had fun exploring. After they left, we all went for a walk up to Norton Springs. Joe left to come home and do some work. The kids and I went to visit Grandma M and then headed home.